Observed Signal · Nov 30, 2025 · Report · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Streaming Now Dominates US TV
A Samba TV report published and covered by Advanced Television finds streaming now accounts for 60% of all US television viewing, driven by a 46% year-over-year increase in streaming hours. The shift is fueled by lower-cost, ad-supported subscription plans—chosen by more than half of SVOD subscribers—and wider adoption of multiple services per household. Audiences increasingly prefer on-demand viewing (the report says when content is available on both linear and streaming, over 90% watch on-demand), and platforms are extending their reach into former linear strongholds such as live sports and blockbuster movie releases. The report and coverage note a persistent gap: viewer attention to streaming has outpaced advertising investment, even as the global TV and video market is projected to approach $1 trillion by 2030.
The report documents a structural, likely permanent shift of US viewing from linear TV to streaming, affecting inventory, measurement, ad pricing, sports rights and programmatic strategies—core concerns for the AdTech ecosystem.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Samba TV report finds streaming accounts for 60% of all US television viewing.
- Streaming hours grew 46% year-over-year according to the Samba TV report.
- More than half of SVOD subscribers now choose ad-supported plans.
- Movies debuting directly on streaming achieve eight times the household viewership of their VOD releases (per the report).
- The global TV and video market is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030 (market projection cited in coverage).
Connected Companies & Entities
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